Tutu man sentenced to five months
By Robert-Jan Bartunek
(CNN) -- Canadian Ron Bensinhom, who caused a security alert by jumping off the three-meter board at the Olympic diving venue dressed in a tutu, has been sentenced to five months in prison, an Athens police spokeswoman told CNN.
She said Bensinhom had appeared in court Wednesday and had appealed against the decision.
He was released on bail after paying a 500 euros bond.
Bensinhom alleges he was beaten up by Greek police in a bathroom after he was dragged out of the pool Monday night.
"They were beating and kicking me," he said. "Then another policeman came into the room and told them they were crazy."
He said he had suffered a bruised eye, but no other injuries.
The Athens police spokeswoman said Bensinhom's claims were unfounded.
"There is no truth in his allegations, he has not been mistreated by the Hellenic Police."
Drew Black, spokesperson for the Internet casino that Bensinhom was advertising for on his chest, told CNN: "We don't pay people in advance for doing this.
"We do pay them for the coverage we get, but we actually weren't going to interfere with the Athens Olympics at all. It was his own initiative."
Olympic organizers said after the stunt that the man had been trying to send a love message home to his wife, but the Web address of the casino painted on his chest told another story.
Men and women representing the company have in the past run on the field of play, sometimes half-dressed and sometimes nude, bearing the slogan at the 2002 European Cup football final in Glasgow, this year's Superbowl and the 2003 U.S. Open Golf, among other events.
